Mixed messaging over Strait of Hormuz
On Sunday, President Trump announced an agreement had been reached with Iran and said in a Truth Social post that he would “authorize the immediate removal of the United States Naval blockade.” He later said the strait would only reopen when the deal is signed on Friday, and a multilateral naval command, which includes the U.S., said Monday that the blockade was still in place.
On Tuesday, however, a senior Iranian diplomat said the U.S. blockade had been lifted ahead of the planned signing ceremony, and CBS News has tracked at least four sanctioned Iranian-owned vessels,, including at least two that are Iranian-owned, crossing the U.S. blockade line since Mr. Trump’s announcement on Sunday.
Major shipping companies have said they will only resume normal operations in the strait when details of the U.S.-Iran deal are clear, and they get assurances of safety in the vital shipping lanes.
“Due to lack of details and a history of overly optimistic reassurances, we believe the security situation for the shipping industry remains volatile, and we still consider it very risky for ships to commence transits at this point,” Jakob Larsen, head of safety and security at BIMCO, one of the largest international shipping associations, said Monday.
Several Israeli strikes hit south Lebanon, country’s news agency says
NNA said Israeli warplanes launched raids targeting the Nabatieh al-Fawqa area and the eastern outskirts of neighboring town Kfar Tebnit. The Israelis also launched a drone strike on the town of Ansariyeh in the Zahrani area, NNA reported.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tuesday that the continuing presence of Israeli forces in Lebanon would be a violation of the U.S.-Iran agreement set to be signed on Friday.
On Monday, Israeli officials said troops would remain in a wide section of southern Lebanon that they have effectively occupied over the last three and a half months, forcing tens of thousands of residents to evacuate.
“Trump’s agreement does not bind us,” Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said.
Iranian tankers loaded with oil exit U.S. blockade zone ahead of peace talks
The negotiations on a final settlement are set to begin Friday at Switzerland’s Burgenstock mountain resort after the memorandum is formally signed.
The TankerTrackers website, which monitors oil shipments and storage, marked Iran’s “first crude oil exports in two months,” citing digital tracking data corroborated by satellite imagery.
“At least two National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC) VLCC supertankers named DIONA (9569695) and HERO2 (9362073) have exited the U.S. Navy blockade perimeter carrying a combined total of 3.8 million barrels of Iranian crude oil between them,” TankerTrackers said on X, later adding that a third tanker had exited.
The U.S. will let Iran immediately begin selling oil and fuel under the deal, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday, citing unnamed people familiar with the agreement.
The waiver of sanctions on oil sales will take effect immediately after the signing, the Journal said.
Graham says he’s “pretty skeptical” about future Iran talks, but “it’s worth a try”
The two countries agreed to a memorandum of understanding to extend their ceasefire, reopen the Strait of Hormuz and launch longer-term nuclear talks over the next 60 days.
Asked if he believes that initial deal is a good or a bad idea, the GOP lawmaker and longtime Iran hawk said: “I don’t know yet.”
“I mean, I like the idea of opening the straits and ending the conflict,” he said. “In terms of how the negotiations work long term … let’s wait and see. I reserve judgment, but I don’t mind jumpstarting the process.”
Graham added: “When it comes to Iran, I’m pretty skeptical, but you never know till you try, so it’s worth a try.”
Graham spoke to reporters after he and other GOP lawmakers met with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to discuss Iran and the Pentagon’s request for additional funding.
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